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Electric Holden Commodore Enters Fleet Test Phase [VIDEO]

EV Engineering, the Melbourne-based start-up developing electric Holden Commodores, today announced the completion of the build phase of the project.

“We have demonstrated that it is possible to engineer and build a fully electric version of one of Australia’s most popular large passenger cars, with no compromises on safety, comfort or performance,” said CEO of EV Engineering, Ian McCleave.

“The cars have surpassed our expectations, and many people have said they are the best electric cars they have ever driven. This gives us confidence that in the next phase we will achieve our second project goal of demonstrating the customer attractiveness of a large electric car,” Mr McCleave said.

In the evaluation phase, the seven Commodores will be placed in member fleets and assessed on performance, reliability and customer experience. It is anticipated that each car will drive approximately 30,000 – 50,000 km over the coming two years.

“We have already had good feedback about the vehicle from the trial with COMCAR, one of the country’s most prestigious and demanding fleets. We have also spoken with the majority of other large Australian fleets and they have a strong appetite to trial a large electric car as part of their vehicle mix. This shows that there is clear customer demand for the kind of car we’ve developed, which is great news for an industry that is facing a swing away from large petrol vehicles.

“Our results provide a solid foundation for the continuing development of EV skills and capabilities in Australia, and we look forward to harnessing further opportunities to apply our expertise,” Mr McCleave said.

The seven completed cars include two Calais wagons and five Calais sedans. Each car has a range of approximately 160km before recharging is required, and deliver a range of between 120-150km in realworld driving.